


Mothers' Intuition

by Meadow Lion (Meadow_Lion)



Series: Philkas Week [2]
Category: Eyewitness (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Gay Character, Canonical Character Death, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Pre-Canon, Romance, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 17:38:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9196412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meadow_Lion/pseuds/Meadow%20Lion
Summary: Anne and Sally have been helping guide the boys together all along.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my contribution for [Philkas Week](http://philukas.tumblr.com/post/154986102847/philkas-week-a-week-dedicated-to-philip-lukas), Day 2: Soulmate.
> 
> Any mistakes are my own.

Summer, 2006 -- New York City

Philip has one small hand folded into his mom's, the other wrapped around a frozen banana. Its chocolate coating drips between his fingers and down his chin no matter how fast he slurps.

Whenever they can visit Coney Island, even if they come by bus, his mom takes him to the Stillwell Avenue Subway station. There she gets him a treat, any one he wants, from Phillips Candy Shop. She slips the clerk money behind Philip's back so that it seems like he just has a right to the shop's wares because of their shared name. 

"It's all yours!" she says every time, and every time he believes in the magic, despite the misspelling. (He doesn't realize for a few more years where she gets her exchange skills.)

They're heading toward Astroland as usual. They pass the Cyclone -- "I'm sure you'll be tall enough next time," Philip's mom soothes his impatience -- , the grill where they'll get hot dogs later, and the antique store that he's sure is haunted. Before they reach the rides, though, his mom tugs him to a stop.

He follows her gaze to the shopfront next to them. The word on top, "Spiritualist," doesn't mean anything to him, but he gasps a little, reading the rest. "Future Teller?"

She smiles down at him. "Yeah, doesn't that sound like fun?"

He nods wildly and gulps down the rest of his banana.

Crossing the threshold from flashing neon and sunshine into dimness lit only by candles makes Philip stumble. His mom keeps him upright.

"Welcome," a soft, deep voice says. "I'm Madame Maude."

Philip looks up. She's tall and elegant, draped in silks that coil behind her head and cover her from shoulders to toes. Her bare neck has a bump in the middle like his own does. He has no idea what she looks like beyond that, because the beads on the silks prism what light there is all around her in a personal rainbow.

"Hi," he whispers.

His mom smiles at him and at Madame Maude. "Hi there. Could you tell us -- maybe give us something good to look forward to?"

Madame Maude nods, sparkling, and leads them to a round table with two tall, thick candles spread apart like a gate on it. She sits and gestures to chairs opposite her for them.

With a quick look at the few crumpled bills that she's passing to Madame Maude, his mom tilts her head toward him. "I don't need anything for me. Just Philip."

"As you wish," Madame Maude says gently and extends her hands, palm up, across the table between the candles. "Philip, darling, may I hold your hands?"

"Oh. Okay." Biting his lip and scrubbing his sticky fingers against his jeans, he shifts onto his knees on the chair so that he can lean in and lay his hands cautiously over hers.

Her thumbs fold around to rest in the middle of his palms. She sings quietly to herself, wordless vowels, before the noise dips into a drawn out, "Zzzzzzz."

Philip crinkles his eyebrows. Unsure if he should take back his hands, he looks at his mom. "Did she fall asleep?"

"I don't know, Philip," his mom starts. "Um, Madame --"

"There is a buzz," Madame Maude says abruptly.

He and his mom exchange confused glances. He asks, "Like a bee or a wasp or something? I'm gonna get stung?"

"No." Madame Maude sweeps her thumbs back and forth across his palms. "Well -- there may be a wasp of some kind, and there will be pain."

He flinches. His mom wraps her arms around his shoulders and starts to pull him away, saying protectively, "That's not what we asked for."

Shaking her head, Madame Maude presses a dry kiss to each of his palms before releasing him. "Every life has pain, but this buzz comes with honey. You're going to find something sweet and rich and gleaming, little Philip, that'll stick with you."

His mom offers uncertain thanks, and they leave, Philip shielding his eyes with tingling hands against the sudden brightness of the sun. They move on to Astroland, to rides and games and hot dogs.

She seems to forget, or at least to want to forget, the future teller. But in the back of Philip's mind lingers a golden buzz.

*~*~*~*~*

Summer, 2006 -- Tivoli

"Hey, Lukas," his mom calls from their front door, "come here, would you?"

Lukas sighs but switches off and drops the remote control for his toy truck, and runs all gangly-limbed across the yard. When he gets to the doorway she swoops him up and attacks him with loud, smacking kisses.

"Mooom!" he screeches, squirming but laughing.

"Luuukas," she echoes through a dozen more kisses. She finally sets him on his feet again and points him toward their living room. "I want you to watch a movie with me."

On the way he raises his eyebrows. "Is it some kissy-face thing?"

Cocking her head, she taps one finger on her mouth. "Hmm. I think there's only one kiss. You'll survive."

"Yuck." He fakes gagging noises with his hands at his throat. "Sounds like boy-poison."

"Oh, hon," she giggles, ruffling his hair.

He ducks away and sticks out his tongue, which makes her giggle more, and he can't ever help giggling with her. Soon they're collapsed in a giggly heap on the floor. He's still trying to get his breath back when she starts up the movie, an old videocassette, in the VHS player he forgot they even still had. This is a Bad Sign, and -- yep, it's getting worse, because that's Tinkerbell tapping her wand on the castle.

"Disney, Mom, really?" Lukas moans.

"Really." She sits on the couch and pulls him into the circle of her arms there. "Just this once, please? It's my favorite, and I have this feeling it's going to mean something to you too."

Snorting his disbelief, he still snuggles against her. "You're lucky I love you."

Her curls tickle his cheeks as she rests her head atop his. "Don't I know it, honey."

He smiles wide. The sweet, flowery smell of her surrounds him while _Sleeping Beauty_ plays and he watches avidly despite himself.

At the end, Lukas yawns loudly, pretending to be just waking. "Is it over yet?"

His mom clucks her tongue and pinches his elbow. "You little liar! I know you watched the whole thing."

"Fine," he admits, rolling his eyes. "The prince was pretty cool, fighting off the dragon and everything."

"So, saving the princess is good, but kissing her --"

"Gross." Lukas shudders.

"Okay," his mom says easily, affectionately. "You and Prince Phillip can slay all the dragons together."

 

Later that year when Lukas sees his mom in her coffin, he runs to it, climbs up, and kisses her cold cheek again and again until his dad drags him away sobbing. The betrayal of it all buries _Sleeping Beauty_ in the deepest shadows of his memory.

*~*~*~*~*

Fall, 2016 -- Tivoli

Philip can feel Lukas circling him, can feel them circling each other at school. Not that Lukas is talking to him or even openly acknowledging his existence. He keeps seeing that blond hair flash out of the corner of his eye, though.

Okay, some of the time, he's full-on staring. He's pretty sure Lukas has been doing the same.

Inside him there's a pull, but he can't tell if he wants to chase or run from Lukas. Even from a distance the guy is under his skin.

And suddenly the distance is gone one day after school, when Lukas appears out of nowhere right next to Philip in the convenience store. "Hey, you like motocross?"

Philip jerks and almost drops the bag of chips in his hand. "What?"

Lukas laughs nervously. "Jumpy much?"

"No, you just surprised me. Good job," Philip retorts. He pays the cashier then tucks the chips into his bag and heads out the door.

"I didn't mean -- sorry," Lukas says in a rush behind him. "Seriously, though, do you?"

When Philip turns, Lukas pulls up short just before they would've crashed into each other. Philip feels an instinct to put out his hands and catch Lukas, and clenches his fists instead. "Do I what?"

"Like mo-to-cross?" Lukas emphasizes the syllables. His nod toward the motorbike parked behind Philip helps more, but Philip still has no idea where he's going with this.

Rather than answer he says, "Why?"

"I've noticed you around," Lukas says. Their eyes meet, and hold, and the world crystallizes into amber around them. Then Lukas yanks his head down and shoves his hands into his pockets. "I've noticed you taking pictures, I mean. And I thought you could maybe shoot some video of me riding. For this channel I have on-line, for sponsors."

"Oh. Yeah," Philip agrees without a thought because the pull toward Lukas, into him, is too strong now to do anything else.

"Yeah? Cool!" Lukas' smile gleams, bright and unexpectedly sweet. "Get on, I'll show you some tricks now."

Philip manages to fumble on the helmet that Lukas passes him. Lukas straddles the bike and tips his own helmeted head.

Realizing he's supposed to get behind Lukas, Philip leans one hand for balance on Lukas' shoulder. The muscles jolt under his palm. Philip drops his hand and leans back, away from Lukas on the bike. Lukas sits there staring ahead and gripping the handlebars in silence.

After a minute Lukas turns his head sideways. Philip watches his Adam's apple bob when he swallows and says, "You've gotta hold on tight."

Lukas faces forward again but reaches back, tucking both hands under Philip's knees and pulling him right up against Lukas, from shoulders to thighs. The moment that Philip has tentatively wrapped his arms around Lukas' stomach, Lukas squeezes the bike's starter hard.

The engine revs with a hum -- no, Philip thinks -- with a buzz that reverberates through everywhere he and Lukas are stuck together.

And Lukas thinks that the boy holding him has just woken him up for the first time he can remember.

~ end ~ 


End file.
